Description

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain’s latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance . . . with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown.

The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure. And though their foe be fiendishly clever, so then is Mr. Books . . . and Miss Braun still has a number of useful and unusual devices hidden beneath her petticoats.

Review

A classic steampunk novel, THE JANUS AFFAIR faithfully combines the aesthetic and social mores of Victorian England with advanced technologies in their nascent form. The period elements of this story didn’t always work for me, so prospective readers may want to read an excerpt first to assess the style. And though PHOENIX RISING dragged for me, I am so glad I picked up book two. I found THE JANUS AFFAIR to be a fun, satisfying story that developed Books’s and Braun’s partnership in wonderful ways.

My love for this series main characters is both an asset and a downfall for the series. On one hand, the hints about Wellington’s “less civilized side” had me eager for an explosion of super spy prowess that would cause Eliza’s heart to explode with unbridled admiration. On the other hand, waiting, waiting, waiting for that damnable Victorian reticence to get out of the way so these two partners could high-five their palpable awesomeness was painful. Even worse than waiting for them to acknowledge how much their working relationship means to them, the hints of sexual tension drove me to distraction. The needle barely moved on either front in PHOENIX RISING, but luckily, by book’s end THE JANUS AFFAIR had things moving in a good direction.

Of course, any sudden baring of souls (or flesh), would go against the authentic steampunk tone of the story. And it was just those elements that I really struggled with. The droll habit of calling Eliza a “colonial pepperpot” was funny the first time, but by book two I was more than ready for that type of humor to give way to new wit or a deeper appreciation for Eliza’s character. THE JANUS AFFAIR at least addresses the crushing chauvinism Eliza deals with every day, but reading along as she secretly solves cases in the face of condescension and incompetence on the part of so many of her male peers was frustrating. Books himself often looks down upon her and censures her behavior, which is not entirely balanced by the instances where he comes to appreciate Eliza’s take no prisoners abilities. Of course, Books too is continually underestimated by field officers, including Eliza herself, so I suppose they’re about even on that score.

Despite my struggles with PHOENIX RISING, THE JANUS AFFAIR delivered a lot more focus on the partners themselves, though the steampunk elements were still more of a distraction than an asset for me. By book’s end, Wellington and Eliza are poised to escape the bureaucratic bonds that I can’t stand and explore a new dynamic to their partnership, and both of those developments promise that the next The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences book may just be the best one yet.

I had the opposite experience, the mystery side of things really dragged for me in book one. I was invested in the disappearing Suffragists, though I wanted to skip all the Maestro/Sophia/Campbell stuff.

Today, I went to the beach front with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed
the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic
but I had to tell someone!

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ATUF Rating System

Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.
Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.
A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.
A few good points, but with significant flaws. Library/swap/borrow if you want.
I had to force myself to finish it. Fatally flawed on multiple levels.

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